Aura and Psy
by Lucariorage
Summary: The tale of 2 young pokemon, Riolu and Kirlia. A lot of action, a lot of romance, and and some mystery.
1. Chapter 1

_ A dark figure. Wide plains with nothing but rocks and dirt. Two more figures neared the first, facing off across the landscape. The first had a glowing sphere in his hand. His grip tightened, and the sphere shattered as if it was made of glass. The silhouette began to glow with multicolored flames. In a deep, emotionless voice he said "Prepare yourselves." _

Riolu woke with a start. Wiping sweat off of his head with his paw, he breathed slowly, trying to get himself calmed down. "_Only a bad dream."_ Still, the fear was lodged in his chest. The young pokemon got out of his bed and stumbled to the window. The curtains were pulled open, the room suddenly filled with sunlight. Riolu blocked the sun's rays from his eyes while grimacing. He moved to the berry pot and uncovered the top. "_Aggghhhhh… Only three Oran berries left! Time to go to the square._" He walked over to the door and swung it open. Piplup was directly outside his door, and got hit as it opened. She squealed and bounced on the stones with a dull_ clunk_. "Ow! Riolu! Pay more attention next time! I could have been seriously hurt!" Riolu rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You get hurt when you breathe. What do you want?" Piplup sat back up. "Alakazam asked for you again. Up the mountain again with you." Now it was Riolu's turn to get mad. "Seriously?! That old fool is always calling me up there! What in the blazing world does he want _now?_ Piplup shrugged. "Who knows? Just remember; please don't get _that_ angry with him. He's just an old guy." Riolu frowned and walked away.

Riolu always liked going to the square. People to see, things to buy, sights to behold. Sure, he had to go to Alakazam, but why not mess around first? He passed Swellow and Lombre as they set up shop. Sneasal, Tododile, and Voltrob were in the square, gathered around something. As Riolu moved forward to investigate, he saw that they were not gathered around something, but rather around someone. Chickorita's voice was small and frail, a bully knew by the voice who to pick on. Needless to say, Chickorita wasn't in the best situation. She was being mocked and jabbed from all sides by the three larger pokemon. Riolu gasped as he saw what was happening to his friend. _"Remember what Makuhita taught you."_ Riolu set himself to strike. He still had the element of surprise on these jerks… Sneasal's low, smooth voice was cut by his pained screech. Tododile and Voltrob turn to look, and the latter was rewarded with a quick series of punches and a roundhouse kick to finish him. Tododile, the last one standing, glanced left and right. Seeing that he was alone, he put himself in a fighting position. Riolu was the first to act, and, of course, also the last to act as Tododile received a series of kicks and punches before being knocked into the air, slammed roughly back into the ground, then stomped on as Riolu descended from the sky. Chickorita lay stunned, seemingly frightened at the sight of three pokemon knocked out in the course of five seconds. Riolu scanned the rest of the square for any more thugs, and seeing none, he allowed himself to relax and straighten up. Tododile groaned weakly, but was silenced by Riolu's foot cutting through the air to land a sharp blow on his jaw. The thug's head lolled slowly to the side. Chickorita suddenly leaped on Riolu. "Ohhh, thankyouthankyouthankyouTHANKKKYOUUU! IwasworriedforaseacondthattododilehadyoubutheDIDN' Tbecauseyoukickedhisbuttandthatwassooooooawsometha nkyouthankyouthankyou!" Riolu smiled at his friend. "No problem, Chickorita! Let me know if they keep on bugging you."

Riolu turned to leave when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Kirlia stared at him from across the square. An instant blush came to Riolu's face. _"She saw all that?! Was she impressed? Is the frightened? Is the disgusted by violence or anything? No, wait; she's O.K. with beating up people who need it… I wish I knew what she was thinking. Wait…. Yep, she's still looking at me! Ok, ok, act cool. –Ow!- Darn it, stubbing your toe is __not__ cool! Wait! Did she notice…? Oh, maybe not, but if she did….."_ The blush left Riolu's face as he nervously lifted his chin and walked out of the square. After being out of sight for a few seconds, he jogged to the opposite direction back through the square. "Sorry, wrong way." The square was in complete silence. Kirlia smiled with a hint of amusement.


	2. Chapter 2

"And then you were like "Bam, bam bam bam! Then, Bam bam BAM! And he was like _ugggghhh_ so you were like BAM!" Turtwig stopped for breath. "It was just so cool!" Riolu leaned farther back into the tall, wild grass. Turtwig had found him after "billions of years" of searching to compliment Riolu on his work that morning. Turtwig was a casual thinker and a cool talker, a naturally fun guy. Lots of the young pokemon in town hung out with him, and the older pokemon doted upon him. "Yeah, and then Kirlia was like _Ohhh, he's so strong and muscular!_" Riolu sat up defensively.

"She didn't say that!"

Turtwig _hmphed_. "Well, she didn't say that, but we all know what she's thinking."

Riolu narrowed his eyes. "And just what might that be?"

Turtwig laughed, then prepared an extra-sarcastic face. "_Ohhh, Riolu, you're so perfect! I just __love__ you! Have my children! Love me for ever and ever!"_

Riolu collapsed back into the grass, staring up at the blue sky. "It's not like that. I'm not even sure if she likes me."

Turtwig's eyes widened. "Not sure if she likes you?! Man, every decent guy her age has already asked her out, and she's turned them all down! Even **ME**! She turned down **ME**, bro! You're the only one left, and she must like someone! Have you seen the way she looks at you when your back is turned?"

Riolu slapped the turtle on the back of the head. "Of course I don't see that, you dimwit! My back has to be turned if she looks at me when my. back. is. Turned.!" He thought for a moment. "Actually… she turned down YOU? Wow, that might give me a chance…"

Turtwig laughed even harder. "OF COURSE YOU HAVE A CHANCE! Dude, she's, like, totally in love with you. Being that she's the only real decent-looking babe here, I would consider myself lucky if I were you. Man, what I would give to get her…"

Riolu slowly got up. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I'm going back to town. Alakazam wants me up on the mountain, and I'd better get going."

Turtwig got up, too. "Alakazam again? Man, that sucks. Well, I'm going to mess around in the woods for a while. See you when you get back!"

Riolu thanked him and left. Over the winds, he could hear Turtwig's voice. "_Oh, Riolu smoochums, when will you accept me? Ohhoohooo….._" Riolu smiled and shook his head. Turtwig was the best.


	3. Chapter 3

Riolu sighed as he climbed yet another pile of boulders that had tumbled over the path up the mountain. The path was rugged and hardly used. The only time anyone walked on it is when they went to see Alakazam, which wasn't very often. Riolu had been climbing the path for hours, but was only halfway up the mountain. He saw movement farther up the climb, his body already tensing. "_It could be bandits. Perhaps it's a poor, lost child. Or even a legendary pokemon! No, too small, what is it…_" He leaped up several path crosswinds, advancing farther up the mountain in a short amount of time. He almost jumped too far and came into sight of the figure, but barley stayed behind a boulder, well out of sight. He heard the pokemon go past, and examined it's aura. He has a purple, slightly red aura. "_That means he's tensed for an attack. He must know I'm here! I might as well get the first hit on him._" Riolu climbed halfway up the huge boulder and prepared to leap at the pokemon on the other side. However, a piece of the boulder craked and fell off under the weight of his foot. The piece of rock hit the ground and made a loud _thunk_. The pokemon stopped walking. "_It's now or never."_ Riolu leaped as high as he could into the air, which is about eighteen yards, then prepared to rush down on the target below him. His breath caught in his lungs as he recognized the pokemon. Kirlia. He twisted his body in an attempt to change his course through the air. He succeeded in missing Kirlia, but ended up landing awkwardly on the ground, twisting something in his arm. He fell while clenching his teeth in pain. Kirlia gasped and ran towards him. That's when Riolu passed out from the pain.

Riolu woke up in a cave with a cast made of leaves and a brach on his arm. His head hurt, and his hurt arm was in extreme pain. He moaned and rolled over. It was daytime, and there were ashes in a fire pit. "_Daytime! That means I'm late for Alakazam!"_ He tried to get up, but fell again as he stumbled on a twisted leg. "_Ow, what in the name of Arceus happened to me?"_ His own thoughts were cut short as a sweet, yet shy female voice addressed him. "Oh, Riolu. I see you're awake. I'm sorry about the leg, I couldn't find a branch. The whole area here is pretty devoid of life, and the first branch was just luck." Riolu straightened himself and began to sit down as comfortably as he could. "No, no, it's fine."

Kirlia gave him a look of amusement. "No, it isn't fine, don't say that! I couldn't find another branch to fix your leg with, and that's that. Don't lie about it."

Riolu scratched the back of his head, obviously embarrassed. "Sorry, I just didn't want you to feel guilty."

She laughed a solid, clean note that Riolu could have sworn was singing. "Me, guilty? Oh, Riolu, I'm afraid you have this all wrong." She leaned in closer to his head. "Did you see me beat up Sneasal that one time because he was being a jerk to Torchic?" Riolu shook his head. Kirla laughed again. "Oh, sure I'm nice, but don't even get me started on guilty!"

Her laughter was cut short by a screeching _caw_ing sound coming from the sky. "No, a flock of Skarmori! They must know we're here." She looked at Riolu in anguish. "We'll have to stay for another night until they leave. "_Hey, not all that bad! I get to stay and chat with Kirlia, and I don't have to go to Alakazam for another whole day!"_ Riolu tried to visibly hide his happiness behind a mask of pain, but Kirlia's telepathy must have gotten him that time, because she smiled and sighed.

Kirlia and Riolu talked until the sun went down. She was going up the mountain for the same reason as Riolu- because Alakazam had requested for her to. After Riolu had been hurt, Kirlia carried him to the cave and bound his arm. After explaining his situation, they both agreed that it was a little odd for Alakazam to call for him three times a week. Soon, however, the sun went down, the Skarmori went away, and they continued their climb. Out of pure luck, Kirlia found another branch and bound his leg, too. As they were walking up the path, Riolu started another conversation with Kirlia. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Kirla? What do you think will happen in our lifetime? Will the world stay ever the same, or will everyone's lives be altered by something, or will half the planet get blown up, or what? Something _has_ to happen in our lifetime."

Kirlia thought for a moment, and then said "I think that everyone's life has a purpose. We have destined friends, enemies, adventures, and accomplishments."

Riolu thought on this, then looked up at the stars. He stared at them, and Kirlia stared too. They stopped walking.

"You know, I always wished that I could go to another planet. It sounds so fun; there would be so many new people to meet and so many things to do."

Kirlia grinned. "I heard that a new star is born when a legendary pokemon comes into being. I wonder if it's true."

They both sat and looked at the stars for a while. Riolu suddenly noticed that their hands were joined. In that moment, a light flashed across the sky.

"Hey, a shooting star! Riolu, you should make a wish!" Kirlia looked at Riolu for a response.

"_Hmmmmm…. What do I want?"_ Riolu thought for a few seconds, and then came to a conclusion. He closed his eyes and made his wish. He turned to Kirlia. "And no, I'm not going to tell you my wish. Then it wouldn't come true!"

Kirlia put her finger to his mouth, silencing him. "Riolu, remember, I have telepathy. I know your thoughts. And I know your wish. You don't have to tell me."

He stared at her an amazement. Then, slowly, their heads moved together, meeting each other for a slow, affectionate kiss. As their heads moved back, Kirlia blushed. "I've wanted to do that for so long. Thank you." Riolu now considered his life complete.

Everyone watched in wonder as Riolu and Kirlia returned from the mountain after four days of absence. Some whispered about Alakazam dying of old age, and rumors flew that they were…together. This, of course, would be very hard to deny, as their hands seemed to be joined at every possible moment. Turtwig constantly badgered Riolu about his time on the mountain, while Eevee and Kirlia squealed in excitement about her time on the mountain. Every morning Riolu and Kirlia would meet each other in the town square and talk, holding hands all the while.


	4. Chapter 4

The sweat. The sharp intake of breath. The scraping of feet against gravel. The darting eyes. The clenched fists. All signs of battle. And in this moment, all of these are being experienced. Riolu started first, rushing forward at his opponent with lightning speed, planning to jump roll past his legs and hit him from behind. However, the only reason this did not work is because he was fighting a Hitmonlee. And Hitmonlee have _very_ fast legs. The breath quickly exited Riolu as a foot caught him directly in the lungs. He fell on his feet, but sat wheezing for a moment. A moment seemed to be all Hitmonlee needed to deliver fifteen blazing fast kicks and a final leaping kick to Riolu's face. The crowd sighed in pity as Riolu lost the fight. Again. For the fifteenth time. The crown dispersed and Hitmonlee bowed to Riolu. Kirlia ran up to Riolu and helped him off the ground. Once he was back on his shaking feet, she hugged him with all her strength. Hitmonlee, although lacking a mouth, seemed to smile at this display of affection. "You, young fox, learn to harness your power. Then you may keep your _girlfriend_ safe if any harm comes to her."

Riolu looked up angrily to Hitmonlee. "What in the blazes are you talking about?! What power do I need to harness?! You always say that, but I never get it!"

Hitmonlee chuckled. "Young fox, I talk of the power bestowed upon you at birth. If you do not understand my words, you are not yet powerful enough."

As Hitmonlee walked away, Kirlia tried to comfort Riolu. "I'm sure you'll beat him one day. You'll knock his faceless butt on the ground and we'll all be proud of you. Anyway, after beating him, you'll graduate the Aura academy!"

Riolu looked at her, confused. "But Kirla, his butt doesn't have a face. Neither does his body."

Kirlia just smiled and hugged him. "That's the joke, silly! You need to lighten up a bit."

Riolu touched a cut on his face where blood slowly seeped. "These final exams sure are a killer, huh?"

Kirlia giggled and kissed his cheek. "There you go! You should make jokes like that more often."

Riolu shook his head and laughed. "Yeah, I guess it just gets on my nerves how I always lose to that guy. I mean, I've embarrassed myself fourteen times in front of the whole town during my final exam because I just can't beat him!"

Kirlia laughed again. "Riolu, now you've embarrassed yourself fifteen times. And I'm sure you'll get him next time! He can't just keep on winning."

Riolu smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Wait…." He stopped walking and thought hard for a moment. "Kirlia, this is our two year anniversary! We should do something, like, awesome!"

Kirlia jumped with excitement. "I know! We could visit my parents over in Bloomberg town, just over the mountain! They've heard about you, but they've never actually met you."

Riolu smiled. "Yeah, that's a great idea! Let's get ready right now, we don't have much time."

And thus they scurried off to pack.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After nearly two days of traveling, Kirlia and Riolu arrived in Bloomberg town. Kirlia ran up to greet her parents, who looked overjoyed. Riolu silently stood behind Kirlia, waiting to be introduced. After what seemed like ages, Gardivor and Gallade let Kirlia out of their grip. The child, Ralts, came shuffling to the door. Kirlia picked him up and hugged him. "Oh, Ralts, when I left, you were just a little Egg!" Gardivor looked at Riolu with a smile. "So, Kirlia, this is your boyfriend? Riolu here? I hear stories about him from your town. He keeps on beating up those bullies? Oh, and I hear that he's a fighter!" Gallade, Kirlia's father, took interest in this.

He approached Riolu. "So, son, you're a fighter? As in a fighting type?"

Riolu proudly grinned. "Born bred and true, sir."

Gallade smiled. "In that case, how about we have a little… practice match. I like to fancy myself as a fighter from time to time."

Kirlia rested her hand on her father's shoulder. "Dad, I don't think the best way for you two to get to know each other is by fighting…"

Gallade smiled sweetly at Kirlia, slipping her hand off of his shoulder. "Now, now, honey. Daddy's going to beat up your boyfriend. Run along now!"

Kirlia sighed. Half to spite her father and half for luck; she kissed Riolu on the cheek as she walked a distance away to watch.

Riolu and Gallade took positions at opposite ends of the path leading up to Kirlia's parent's house. The only sound was of the wind, then feet quickly running through grass, then a series of loud thunks and smacks, then an extra-loud thunk, and finally a weak groan. Riolu stood proudly over Gallade's chest. Kirlia ran over and hugged him, squealing with excitement. Riolu, as it turned out, had a few cuts and bruises. Smiling weakly, he asked "Is this why I'm your first official boyfriend?" Kirlia shook her head. "Nope. That's because you're the one that I love." She nuzzled her head against Riolu's, and he returned the gesture. Gallade weakly raised a trembling hand to the air. "I approve" he sighed, and then his hand collapsed. Gardivor and Ralts thought that this was very funny. Gallade did not. After staying for a couple of days, Kirlia and Riolu left back for Stoneverge village, their home. On the way back, Riolu asked Kirlia "Wasn't that a great anniversary? I got to meet your little brother and mother, I got to beat up your father, and I'm now your official boyfriend!" Kirlia just sighed and smiled as she rested he head against Riolu's shoulder.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Riolu continued on his way through the woods. Kirlia was out of town, training. Riolu hadn't been without the Psychic pokémon for two years, and thus he had no idea what to do with himself. She had told him to relax and enjoy himself before she left, but he couldn't stop missing her. Hell, she had barley left his side for their whole relationship. Riolu's thoughts were turned as he heard a faint rustling in the bushes to the side of the path. "Hey, you! Yeah, Riolu! Come over here!" Riolu froze for a second. Who was this? "_It doesn't matter anyways. If he wants to rob me or something, I'll pound his face in and leave."_ Riolu went into the bushes. A grinning Grotle stared at him. Riolu was confused.

"I'm sorry, have we met?"

The Grotle laughed, a familiar sound. Riolu remembered that laugh, but he couldn't quite place it.

"You don't recognize me? Oh, well. It doesn't matter. This only happened like five minutes ago, anyways."

Riolu remembered the voice… "Turtwig? Is that you?!"

Turtwig laughed again. "You bet, blue cheese! I guess I evolved!"

Riolu contemplated this thought. "Yeah, that makes sense. You ARE seventeen years old now, so you should evolve."

Grotle smiled evilly. Riolu backed up. "Hey, Riolu, I found out how to do something!"

Grotle launched six razor-sharp leaves at a tree. Four of them stuck fast and deep into the tree's trunk, while the other two missed. "Cool, huh? It's razor leaf. I heard from Alakazam that some pokemon learn these attacks called technique when they evolve or get stronger. They are a lot stronger that regular attacks, and they're really cool, too!"

Riolu thought to himself for a couple of seconds. "Hey, shouldn't I be evolving soon? I'm 19, so I'm kind of past when I should have evolved anyways… Damn, I don't even know what I evolve INTO!"

Grotle thought. "I honestly don't know. Hey, you should go up to Alakazam! He could probably show you what you will evolve into!"

Riolu grinned. "Yeah, Alakazam is a genius, anyways. Perhaps he is useful for something other than wasting my time…"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kirlia ran through the woods. She could hear her pursuers close behind her and getting closer with each passing second. She could only run for so long, and her legs were starting to tire. Her attackers seemed to show no signs of tiring. A tear dripped from out of her eye and was lost behind her as she ran at top speed. Shortly after leaving the town with her training group, they had come under attack by a group of bandits. She didn't know their species, but they were powerful and quick, and that was enough to keep her legs moving. She feared that her class had been killed by the bandits, but she didn't have time to worry about them much. Kirlia had her own problems. She saw a tattered bridge ahead of her, holding above a massive gorge that stretched down for what seemed like miles. Her speed increased, painfully stretching her already burning, thin legs. She dashed across the other end of the bridge, which the bandits were only halfway across. Even though her energy attacks seemed to not work on the bandits, they would work well enough on rotting wood. A cloud of dust flew into the air as she blew off nearly a yard of earth, destroying the bridge. She couldn't see it, but she could hear the bridge falling down the gorge. Kirlia breathed a sigh of relief. A shadow flashed across her vision. She was knocked to the ground, something small yet heavy sitting on top of her. "So, you little prick, you thought you could kill us? Think again: we can jump."

Kirlia fired an energy attack directly at the ground underneath her. The thing tumbled off, and Kirlia rolled backwards into a fighting stance. Her determined face turned to shock as she recognized her attackers. Sneasal was in front, while Croconaw and Ekans were on either side of her. Ekans immediately paralyzed her with a shot of acid. Sneasal walked up to her as she fell to the ground and stroked her cheek.

"Boys, this is a fine prize. Little girl, I think you are coming with us. It just isn't my nature to leave a poor, poor child out in the middle of the woods, miles of travel ahead of her, no food, and no protection."

The other two thugs chuckled. Ekans wrapped himself around her waist. "Ohhh, darling, you wouldn't dream of leaving usssssss, now would you?" Kirlia tried to shove him away, but only succeeded in moving her paralyzed body a few inches to the side. She was crying by now, sure she was about to be killed or worse.

Croconaw lumbered up to her and grinned. "Boys, I think we have ourselves our first successful raid!"

Ekans laughed demonically. "Damn right, fatssssso. Hey, Kirlia, how about you make usssss fine gentlemen ssssssome dinner?" This sent all of the thugs into hysterical laughter.

Sneasal moved in closer to her face and stroked her head with his claw, brushing aside her hair. "Why wait for dinner? Right now, we have you all to ourselves."

A flash of light and a loud boom echoed across the area. Sneasal lay against a smoking tree, yards away from where he was before. Bloodied and bruised, he struggled to get up. "Who do you think you are?!" He yelled at a darkened figure.

The figure stepped into the moonlight's veiw. The silver light reflected off of red steel. Pincers were set to crush. Bug wings flitted every few seconds. His eyes were set, glaring menacingly at Sneasal. "You, the one whose ass I just kicked. Do you remember when you said that you had her all to yourself?"

Sneasal looked left and right nervously. His allies had abandoned him. Cowards. "Um, yeah."

The steel pokemon twisted his pincers in an X shape, and then assumed a fighting stance. "I believe you were mistaken."

Kirlia, now recovering from the paralysis, crawled behind the steel pokemon.

Sneasal wiped blood from his mouth. His left eye quivered. "I'm never wrong, you son of a bitch."

The red pokemon gave a slight smile. "Oh, really? Tell me then, who is going to win this fight?"

Sneasal leaped through the air, dropping towards the red pokemon. Before he could bring his claws down on him, however, the red pokemon's pincers caught Sneasal's neck. He tossed Sneasal into the air, jumped an impressive height while upper cutting Sneasal in the chin. They reached the height of their jump, and the red pokemon slammed his closed pincers into Sneasal with tremendous force, sending him straight into the ground. Sneasal had barley gotten up then the steel pokemon landed, bringing his closed pincer down on the thug's head. The bandit's head lolled to the side, obviously unconscious. Kirlia's savior turned to her. Finally getting a look at him, she saw that he was a red bug type. His large pincers were at his sides, closed. His smooth carapace seemed to be made out of steel. He had three spikes standing up from his head, and his wings fluttered behind him. The pokemon was a good fifteen feet tall. "My name is Scizor. I'm the protector of this forest. Let's get you to safety." Kirlia passed out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Riolu crawled up the mountain's path, struggling with each step. He finished the last bit of rocky path that lay ahead of him, now entering a smooth, wide dirt path. As he walked up the mountain, he began to remember two years ago, and what happened up on the mountain. "_The last time that I was up here, I met met my first girlfriend, had my first kiss, and had a great time, minus my legs being sprained. I hope something good happens again."_ He trudged on the final mile until he made it to the top. Dripping with sweat, he collapsed lazily unto a bench that lay outside of Alakazam's hut. After cooling down for a while, Riolu nervously went in. He had not seen Alakazam for two years, and he was well past nervous. Alakazam saw Riolu entering and leaped up in delight.

"Oh! Riolu, good chap. Please do sit down! We must have very much to talk about, no?"

Riolu struggled to the chair opposite of Alakazam. "Good, uh, evening, Alakazam."

The old pokemon arranged his hands on his lap. "So, how are you and your little sweetheart doing? Hopefully not _doing_ anything, you should wait until you're older for that. Oh,ohohohoho! Why, I'm so funny. Now, be a good boy and get some tea off of the table there...yes... thank you. So, back to my question."

Riolu looked down, trying not to be embarrassed. Alakazam had told them that the reason he called them up to the mountain that fated day was so that they _would_ get together, and his plan had worked. Riolu found it a little difficult to speak to the creator of his relationship with Kirila. " We're doing O.K., I guess. She's away on a training trip now, probably having fun with Eevee while I'm back here."

Alakazam started to laugh. "So, the little charmer is brokenhearted when his one, true love is away? I could make a production out of that! My, my, Riolu. Your actions are just SO poetic. Gee, I might be able to make a production out of your whole life! It seems to me that you young folk seem to get yourselves into trouble now and then."

Riolu decided to get to the point. "Alakazam, do you know what I evolve into? I am well past my time to evolve, but other than growing bigger, I'm not showing any signs of change. It's starting to worry me."

Alakazam half raised out of his seat with excitement. "Oh, oh, yes! I know what you evolve into! Lucarlaino or something-or-other... anyways, I saved this from when you were born. Your father gave it to me." Alakazam handed Riolu a small, round pebble. It glowed faintly in the colors of the rainbow. "Just wait, and you'll know what to do with it. Now, now, along with you!"

Riolu left the tent and head down the mountain, staring at the pebble all the way down.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kirlia woke with a start, twisting to her side as she tried to escape from the haunting memories of the dream she had just had. When she twisted, however, she became aware that she was underneath a blanket. A supply of berries and roots was lying in a tray next to her, along with a jug of water. Kirlia eagerly drank from the jug and ate as much as she could. Full, she dropped off into a deeper sleep.

The next time Kirlia woke up, it was a release from peaceful dreams. Dreams of Riolu, and getting back home. She slowly got up and walked to the cave's exit, which was covered by dried seaweed hanging down from the mouth of the cave. As she stepped outside, the sunlight assaulted her. Scizor sat nearby, snipping away at a wood sculpture of what looked like a pokemon. She sat down next to him. Scizor didn't turn his head the slightest inch. "Young pokemon, look upon your creator. This statue is of Arceus, the great pokemon that is god to legendries and other, weaker gods. No other can stand to his strength." Kirlia didn't really understand his words, but smiled anyway. "Thanks for helping me out. I feared that they…."

Scizor gave a slight _hmph_. "Their intentions were a disgrace to all life. You, young girl, would not like to know. Nor _should_ you know. One as young as you should have no knowledge of the world's evil."

Kirlia blushed; embarrassed that he would address the act of rape so easily. "Anyways, thank you. I couldn't have survived without your help. Even if I had survived, I wouldn't have had a very enjoyable life afterwards."

Scizor gave her a faint grin. "You should have protected yourself more against that kind of danger, or at least sensed their intentions from their minds. He examined her from head to toe. You are quite an attractive young lady, as is."

Kirlia blushed again. "Hey! I already have a boyfriend."

Scizor laughed, a deep booming sound. "Your soulmate will have no opposition from me, child. I am bare seconds away from being as old as the universe itself."

Kirlia smiled, relieved that he was not into her. "No, really how old are you?"

Scizor turned serious. "I speak the truth, child. This is not information to be advertised freely, but I am a god. I was exiled from the heavens for suspicion of treachery. Alas, I came to inhabit a mortal body."

Kirlia tilted her head. "Please, tell me more."

Scizor sighed and turned to her. "In the birth of Arceus, the universe was created. During the first second of his existence, he knew all there was to know. During the second second of his existence, he created planets and stars in the emptiness of space. In the third second of his existence, he created the elemental gods. There were seventeen of us, each for an element. I was to be the god of insects, or as you call them for short, bugs. The rest of the gods created their pokemon as creatures of power, mighty and heroic. Some gods even worked together. For instance, Charizard was the devastatingly powerful product of the work of two gods that helped each other. While the others created their banners of strength and glory, I focused on creating wonderful, detailed little creatures that lived simple lives of peace. However, this was not to be a world of peace, as the other gods tested their creations against each other in horrible wars, some which have scarred your history forever. My poor, lively creations could not survive these wars. They were picked on, tortured, killed, and almost wiped from the face of the earth as other, more powerful pokemon saw their weakness. Frustrated, I created the Scyther, the first warrior pokemon to walk the earth. Legions of bugs, with scythers fighting and other bugs flying overhead, sprinkling poison and other chemicals onto the enemy's army. Still, my bugs were tormented by the knowledge of their weakness. I furiously accelerated their evolutionary cycle, making them larger and more powerful, but alas, they were no match for their rivals. Arceus took notice of my attempts to make them more powerful. He suspected treachery, but said nothing. I created more bugs, including my current mortal vessel, Scizor. After a long period of production and creation, I rested my poor, tortured mind. That is when Arceus approached me. The other elemental gods had convinced him that I was preparing for a revolt, to defeat him. I tried to explain that I only wished to end the suffering of my creations, but Arceus would hear none of it. He banished me from the heavens and allowed me to choose whatever of my creations I liked, and then take control of it in mortal form. I chose my most perfect creation, Scizor. After arriving on this world, I decided to protect the weak from the unjust. I dealt justice wherever it was necessary, even once massacring a whole city in my crusade. Stepping back to review my work, I was aghast to realize that I had killed innocents in my quest for justice. Shamed, I took to solitary life in the woods, among my brothers and creations. I long for the heavens again, but I am doomed to stay here until my mortal body rots, and then come to life again." A solitary tear rolled out from Scizor's eye. He closed his eye, bent his head, and then rose.

Kirlia tried to comfort him. "It's going to be all right, Scizor. I'm sure that Arceus will soon recognize that you didn't mean wrong, and he will restore you to your rightful position."

Scizor smiled. "Thank you, child. My best friend was the god of Psychics…. your creator. I feel that he might have created you with this destiny in mind, even to only comfort me for a moment. It is still appreciated, though. Thank you."

Kirlia smiled. "What was your name as a god? Oh, and what was your friend's name?"

Scizor laughed again. "Young mortal, you could never speak our names. Your brains could not possibly understand the speech."

Kirlia looked determined. "Please? I won't get hurt or anything, just try."

Scizor looked amused. "Fine. Here it is….-."

Kirlia only heard a sudden screeching sound in her ears, and she almost blacked out. Scizor caught her, however, with surprising agility.

He smiled. "What did I say, child? You might have listened to me."

Kirlia shook herself off and laughed. "You gods….. so full of yourselves. We can't even know your names."

Scizor smiled. "What is not to be proud about? We created every form of life. Look around…. It is all the work of the elementals."

Kirlia looked for a second.

Scizor got up and grabbed a pack from the cave. "We'd best return to your home." Kirlia nodded in agreement.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Riolu hugged Kirlia with all of his strength. Only seconds before, Grotle had burst into his room, yelling the Kirlia was back, the sole survivor from a raid. Riolu covered the length of the village in mere seconds, running so fast that he created a sudden breath of wind that hit anyone that he passed by. He saw her, accompanied by a larger pokemon, and leaped at her. After releasing her from his hug, she kissed him for a solid ten seconds. "What happened to you?"

Kirlia looked down. "My class was attacked by Sneasal and his goons. They killed the rest of my class, but I escaped. They chased me down and caught me, but this pokemon saved me from them." She looked up at Scizor.

Scizor seemed to get the message. "Hello, child. I am Scizor. I am pleased to meet you."

Riolu, barley able to contain himself with thankfulness, leapt onto Scizor and hugged **him**. He was crying by now. "_Thank you"_ he whispered to Scizor.

Kirlia kissed Riolu again. "He brought me home, where I am now."

Riolu smiled. "I'm glad you're safe."

Kirlia pulled a small, white box from out of her pack. She looked at Scizor with expecting eyes. "Now?"

Scizor nodded. "You may."

Kirlia opened the box, and gasped as Sneasal fell out. How he could be contained in a mere cubic centimeters of space, she didn't know, but she knew for sure that he was sitting in front of her, genuinely pissed off. Scizor caught his throat and tied a rope around his hands. "This one is for you to justify. Treat him as he deserves."

Kirlia and the rest of the town thanked him, and he flew away, presumably back to his cave.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_I sat up in front of the whole village, all of them staring at me. Some showed expressions of fear, others of hate. My arms were tied behind by back and over my head, but I was wriggling them, trying to get free._

"…_**and this pokemon, a violator of the eighteen laws set down in this and other neighboring villages, is condemned to be hanged until death. May Arceus save your soul."**_

_I snickered at the last part, knowing by his voice that his heart was not in it. I had already gotten one hand free, and almost had the other out. My one tall ear blocked my hands; no one could see that I was close to escaping. The executor, an Amphoros, walked up to me. __**"Poor bastard."**__ Before he could put the rope around my neck, I slipped my hands free from my restraints and slashed with my claws at his jugular. He fell backwards, gurgling on his own blood. I leapt down at the crowd, some of the women screaming as they witnessed the poor pokemon dying up on the stage above me. I ran through the crowd, dodging the guards. I was almost free._

Riolu saw Sneasal running towards him. In that moment, he had to make a decision. He gathered his strength, and stepped in from of Sneasal defiantly. Sneasal stopped, and then chuckled. "So, the glorious hero stops the wrongdoer from escaping, putting his own life on the line." Sneasal smiled as he hit Riolu's weak point, his pride. "Going to protect your _girlfriend_ again? She knows that once it starts, she'll like it." Riolu could feel the rage growing in his chest. His sensei's words returned to him: "Control your rage, lest it should control you." Riolu shoved the thought aside. "_Damn it, all I want to do is crush this guy. He deserves it."_ He calmly blocked Sneasal's first attack with his hand. He twisted Sneasal's claw. This should have caused him pain, but the thug seemed to enjoy it. "You can't kill me. You don't have the guts, _weakling_." Riolu punched Sneasal in the face, bruising the bandit's eye. "You will never amount to anything. You're too _weak_." Riolu gritted his teeth. "After all, you lost to that fighting-type a couple of times already. Oh, I'm sorry to remind you. Just make it easy: admit it. You. Are. Pathetic." Riolu's rage boiled over as he slammed his fist into Sneasal's face with a roar. Sneasal recovered from the attack, and took advantage of his hate-controlled frenzy to slip in a cut with his claw. Riolu continued to recklessly punch and kick. Within seconds, Riolu was covered in cuts, all which bled profusely. He seemed not to notice. Sneasal finally delivered a kick to Riolu's face, pulled him close, and sunk his claws deep within Riolu's torso. Riolu's eyes went wide. They quivered with pain. Blood started to soak out from Riolu's wound. His mouth was frozen, a continuing, silent scream. Riolu's lungs managed to get out a small gasp, and then collapsed. Sneasal ran into the trees undisturbed while the rest of the crowd stared in horror.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Kirlia's vision whitened as a wave of fear tumbled into her, like a slap to the face. She ran at Sneasal, launching an energy attack that she knew would be useless at him. Not that she thought it could hurt him, but she had to do _something_. She stopped moving for a second, and then broke down. She fell on her knees, crying hard into her hands. She crawled to Riolu, who was lying on the blood-soaked ground, staring blankly up at the sky. She pulled herself to his head, trying to breath into his lungs, stop him from dying. The stunned crowd moved aside as Mismagius rushed to Riolu. "Now, dear, in order for me to heal him, you must get off of him." Kirlia, still crying, moved to his side. Mismagius picked him up with tendrils of purple smoke and carried him into her tent.

She washed his wounds and bandaged his torso. After putting him to sleep, she addressed the crowd outside. "He's looking good other than losing large amounts of blood." (That was evident, as the grass where he had been was now a solid, slick red.) "I'm going to care for him until he regains consciousness. Please refrain from gathering outside, the pressure from your emotions will mess with his healing. He _is_ an aura-sensitive pokemon, anyways, so pressure or sadness will not help at all. Thank you!" She headed back into her tent.

Eevee, Kirlia's best friend, guided Kirlia away, back to her house. "You heard her. Just take a break, calm down. Jeez, girl! He'll be fine, don't worry." Kirlia's only response was more crying. She went back to her house, Eevee cooing to her and talking to her the whole way. No matter what Eevee said, Kirlia couldn't stop the fear that she might lose Riolu forever.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Riolu tensed himself. After being confined to Mismagius's tent for two months, he did exactly what she said not to do: he strained himself. He felt like he was too weak. Too weak to protect Kirlia. Riolu had finally decided to fight Hitmonlee again, to try and graduate the Aura Academy. He focused on beating the hell out of a punching back in front of him. His rage building, he started to tear the bag of sand. He remembered Sneasal's words. And he remembered Kirlia's face above his, frozen with terror. He never wanted to see her face like that again. He forced himself to become better. The punching back flew off of the now broken chain.

Hitmonlee landed a kick directly in Riolu's face. Riolu gasped, and he felt his nose snap. Riolu had been taking a beating since the start of the fight. He rolled to the side and punched at Hitmonlee. Surprising himself, he landed a direct hit in Hitmonlee's stomach, doubling the brown pokemon over. He saw his window of opportunity. Leaping into the air, he landed a triplet of kicks on Hitmonlee's face, each more powerful than the other. He saw Kirlia's fearful face in his memories. He saw Kirlia in the crowd, looking worried. He allowed his rage to build, and launched a final, devastating punch at Hitmonlee. Unexpectedly, Riolu's hand glowed with a blue, bright flame when it flew through the air. When it collided with Hitmonlee, hitting him in between the eyes, a sudden explosion of blue flame sent the pokemon flying backwards, cracking the ground where he fell. The crowd was silent. Riolu scanned the crowd. Everyone had a shocked expression. Suddenly, someone started to clap slowly. Riolu turned, and saw that Kirlia was grinning with tears on her face, clapping solemnly for his victory. Slowly and seriously, the rest of the pokemon started to clap. Within seconds, the crowd erupted into a mass of cheers and whoops. Riolu smiled to himself. He had graduated.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"And now, to the guy that this whole celebration is about, Riolu!"

Riolu smiled proudly and stood up. The whole town was partying, and Riolu had never been more proud. Why not be proud? He had graduated! He and the rest of the town all started to drink berry juice and eat whatever there was to eat. Krickitunes started to play music, and the night fell upon the little village.

Alakazam approached Riolu and Kirlia, holding a few pink, bright berries. "Oh, you two! Take this here gift, you sure deserve it. Oh, and don't forget to visit me sometime!" The old pokemon suddenly transported away. Riolu blinked and sighed, holding the berries in his hand. And that is Alakazam for you.

Scizor arrived. "Riolu, I'll watch over you. I know what those berries do. I won't let Sneasal have his revenge while you're under the influence of them." Riolu looked down at the berries again. Scizor laughed. "Don't worry, the berries are ok. Eat them, and have fun. You deserve it."

Riolu and Kirlia uncertainly ate the pink berries, not sure what would happen. After a couple of minutes, their thoughts started to turn blurry. Their memories swirled into each other, their eyes reacting profusely to the light, and their bodies moving without command. That was the end of the night.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Kirlia woke up groggily, not remembering anything from the night before. She vaguely realized that she was not in a familiar place, and then looked to her side. "Oh, _shit_." Riolu lay next to her, sleeping soundly. She poked him in the arm. Riolu just grunted and squirmed a bit. "Riolu?" Kirlia said nervously. He opened his eyes and rubbed them, obviously still groggy. He took a second to look around. He noticed with a shock that they were in a bed. His bed. Together. They were in his bed together, with no memory of the night before. "Riolu, did we….?" Riolu let his head fall against the wooden end of his bed. "Shit."

Scizor walked into the room, smiling comically. "Oh, so the two little lovebirds are up." This didn't help Kirlia's uncertainty at all. "Scizor….do you know….if…?" She gestured to Riolu and then to herself. Scizor stopped for a moment, and then laughed. "That? Oh, _hell_ no! I did have to convince you not to, though. You two seemed pretty set on ending the night with a _bang_. Of course, you were under the influence of Joyberries, so I shouldn't hold it against you." Kirlia couldn't help but notice that Scizor seemed less serious than he usually was. "Oh, me? Fuck that, I'm just drunk." He tottered away, singing to himself and to anyone else unlucky enough to be near him. Kirlia and Riolu just laughed. A god getting drunk? Why the hell not.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Riolu trudged up the mountain. For the first time in three years, Alakazam had "requested his company". He had gone up once on his own will, the other times in his childhood was by request. Nearing the top of the mountain, he began to wonder what was in store for him at the top. A gift? Most likely not. The old man probably wanted just wanted some conversation time. He cleared the gate that announced that he was in Alakazam residence, and advanced to his multicolored tent. As Riolu entered, he took in his surroundings. Not much had changed over the years. Candles still silently burned in all four corners of the large tent, and random charms, papers, and trinkets were scattered across his desk. Alakazam, of course, was in his large chair, and a blue Pokémon was sitting next to him. "Riolu, good chap. I know by your _wonderful_ performance during battles and your caring attitude that you would be perfect for this job."

Alakazam gestured to the blue Pokémon. "This here is Squirtle. He's a nice young chap that came from all the way across the land. He wants to live in our village. Why don't you be a kind fellow and show him around? I do have plenty to attend to, anyways."

Squirtle smiled. "Hey, I'm Squirtle!"

Riolu rolled his eyes. "Don't you think I have enough to worry about without this little kid following me around?"

Squirtle grinned. "I may be small, but I'm not a little kid. I'm 20."

Riolu frowned. "20? I'm 20. You haven't evolved either?"

Squirtle shook his head. "Nope, but I should soon."

Alakazam pushed them both out of the tent. "Glad to see you're getting along! Have fun, and come visit!"

Squirtle and Riolu looked at each other, then at the tent, and finally at the long path that lay before them. They started on their way down.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Squirtle and Riolu walked into town. The villagers were fairly nice to them, but seemed suspicious of Squirtle. This was normal, though, as all of the villagers knew each other, with the population being around 200-300. Near the end of the town tour, Riolu ran into Kirlia. Before either Riolu or Kirlia could say anything, Squirtle shifted up to Kirlia smoothly. "Hey there, lady. It's ok to contact me if you're interested…. it's free, I don't charge for the good-looking ones." He made a _chi-chick_ noise and pointed one finger on each hand at Kirlia, then swag-walked back to Riolu. Kirlia didn't say anything, happily waiting for what would come after. "Dude, I think she's into me! You see how she's smiling?" Riolu gritted his teeth. "Don't bet on it."

Squirtle looked shocked. "Why not? I'm irresistible!"

Riolu turned away, trying to keep his voice controlled. "She's taken."

Squirtle laughed. "I never met a girl that I couldn't sweep away from one guy and right back to me. Who "took" her?"

Riolu whipped himself around and grabbed Squirtle's neck, shoving the water turtle up against the wall. Squirtle made a chocking noise.

"She's taken by **me**, and don't forget it."

Squirtle breathed in relief as Riolu let go of his neck. "Yep, this is pretty awkward…."

Kirlia couldn't stop laughing.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"No, not like that, like _this._" Riolu grabbed the turtle's hand and moved it to his side. "Pretend like I'm not going to hit you." Squirtle gulped in nervousness. "Ok… I'm ready." Riolu punched Squirtle in the face. Hard. "Ow, what in the holy hell? What was that for?" Riolu rubbed his knuckle. "One, for letting down your guard. Two, for hitting on every single girl in the WHOLE ENTIRE TOWN!" Squirtle rubbed his face. "I'm not going to like training…"

Grotle ran faster, laughing into the air. Charmander was chasing him, playing tag. Grotle dodged several adults, many of which scolded him. He got to the edge of the village, then tried to stop. His feet skidded on the loose rocks, however, and he fell into and through the bushes with a soft _pwoof_. Grotle painfully tumbled until he came to a clearing at the bottom of the hill that the town was on. Eevee and Kirlia appeared in front of his view from the sky, their faces worried. Grotle immediately set himself right-side up and grinned. "I'm ok, I'm ok, it's all good." Eevee's ear dipped a little to the side. "Are you sure? That was one bad-looking fall." Grotle decided on a course of action. "Are you saying that I didn't fall in style? I hope no one was watching!" Eevee and Kirlia giggled. "_Perfect! Girls make this stuff so easy!_" Grotle settled in for a long talk with the two.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The sunset was beautiful that afternoon. Squirtle had just gotten off of a very long session of getting punched by Riolu. Squirtle wasn't a fighter, why was he being trained? He didn't know other than a few times when Swellow had told him that it was to "prepare him for combat". Combat? He didn't have any quarrels with the villagers, other than Riolu once, but that was long gone. He and Riolu were friends when they were around town, but during training, Riolu beat the living shit out of him without hesitation. "_Why the hell do I have to go here? I could just go to any other combat academy. It just had to be this hardcore, strict one. Geez, I need a break…"_

Squirtle jumped up from where he was on the cliff. The sunset reflected into the water of the beach, giving off a shimmering glow. The young pokemon scurried down the cliff's path and next to the water. The beach's seawater brushed up against his feet. Squirtle leaped into the water without a moment's hesitation. He swam, dove, and paddled to his heart's content. Nearly an hour later, Squirtle got out of the water. He was exhausted from the swim, but it had him feeling refreshed. "_Maybe this place isn't so bad after all"_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The top of an ancient temple was under the cover of darkness. Not that it had seen sunlight very often. Darkrai's aura stopped that. But during the night, the shadow pokemon left to hunt, leaving Giratina to himself. Even then, Giratina didn't have anything to do. Just sit and guard the Oblivion Orb. Every day. Every year. Every second of his existence. Guard it. Guard. And kill anyone that tries to take it. Giratina's eyes narrowed. **Kill.**

Scyther slashed his way through the forest. He could hear other pokemon dashing in the same direction, running as fast as they could. Why? He didn't know. He felt… the need. Suddenly, he came to an enormous field. Even though it was a huge, flat plain, it could barely contain the thousands of pokemon gathered there silently. Scyther wanted to ask someone why he was there, what he was doing, but he didn't want to speak, either. It was as if there were two versions of him trying to control his body. Slowly, a pokemon rose above the crowd. It was red, with pincers and bug wings. In fact, all of the pokemon in the field were bugs. The pokemon looked up at the crowd, examining all of them very slowly. "My children, we must stand together, we must stand fast. We must withstand the world together. We must be united. We must do so quickly, for the tides of war are coming. I will not allow my creations to die. No matter what happens, we will **endure**."

Machamp walked through the ranks of soldiers. Machops, Machokes, Geodudes, Gravelers, Magmars, every mountain-living pokemon was here. They were in tight ranks, the results of months of intense training. Each stood straight up, looking directly forward. Machamp smiled to himself. _This will be easy. Soon, my empires will expand. Soon, I will have the sea. Soon, my greatest dreams will come true. __**Soon.**_

Celebi flew as fast as she could through the sky. A dark pokemon had been chasing her for the better part of an hour. She tried to dodge its next attack, but pulled a muscle mid-twist and dropped to the ground. The pokemon flew down and caught her. "Oh, poor, sweet little thing. Did you get hurt?" It pressed its face closer. Celebi shrieked as she recognized it. Darkrai. "Now, now, be quite, honey. Wouldn't want to wake the children. Oh, too late." Darkrai transported to a small hut with three pokemon in it. Two of the pokemon, obviously married, slept in the same bed. The last pokemon was a small child, in a crib. Darkrai grinned. "Go to sleep, little child, sleep forever…." Celebi tried to scream as she witnessed the babies life force absorbed. The child's chest stopped moving. Trying to stay conscious, she focused on one though: protecting her mind from Darkrai, lest he do the same to her. Her mental barriers were not smash open like she expected, but Darkrai's mind rather slipped in, punching tiny holes in her mental barrier, then crushing it from the inside. Celebi tried to scream, but discovered that she couldn't. She didn't have a body. She didn't have a mouth. Her mind began to fill with terror as she realized what had happened. She was dead. **Dead.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Riolu knocked an Oran berry out of the tree by throwing a rock at it. The rock dropped to the ground, the berry dropped into his hand. As he chewed on the tasty fruit, Riolu allowed himself to relax. He had been going on with life in a stressed manner, always struggling to get things done and to achieve his expectations. Here in the woods, though, there were no expectations. There were no adults. Just Riolu and his berries… it was bliss. The silence of the woods was interrupted by a loud thumping noise. Although loud, it sounded very distant. Curious, Riolu climbed up the tree, looked out, and dashed back to the town as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Everyone! Stop what you're doing and listen to me!" The area's movement stopped. Riolu took three seconds to catch his breath. "An army is coming…. Coming to the town…. it's… perhaps a mile away." The other Pokemon in the area immediately started to converse with each other. Mightyena shouted "We need to defend the town!" Kangaskan was gathering up her storage bags. Riolu yelled, but the square was in so much confusion, no one listened to him. Anger welled up in him, his rage was building. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Throwing his head back and his arms to his sides, he let loose a blast of blue flames. The flames pulsed from him and drifted to the sky. The square was quiet again.

Within ten minutes, most of the town had left. An emergence evacuation had taken place, and in good time, too. Machamp's army arrived to the town, and immediately started looting it and burning the houses. Those that chose to stay were either taken prisoner or killed on the spot. Not a single escapee looked back, for fear of what had happened the their lives that they had left behind.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The townspeople stopped in Bloomberg town. Most of the population housed with those that offered to share a bed, but Riolu and Kirlia stayed with Gardivor and Gallade. Gardivor was in tears the whole time, and Gallade insisted that they take the fight to the invading army. After a silent dinner, everyone went to bed.

Riolu was woken up by an intense buzzing sound. He heard a thunk, then another, then another, and so on until it sounded like rocks were dropping all around the town, raining from the say. When he looked outside, however, it wasn't rocks, but bugs. Scythers, Scizors, Butterfrees, Beedrills, Beautiflys, Mothims, Kabutops, all kinds of bugs. They didn't attack but rather gathered outside the city. Scizor walked to Riolu. "It is good that you survived, my friend. I thought that you had enough sense to leave with the impending danger, and I was correct." Riolu was dumbfounded. "Where did you get all of these bugs from? What are you doing?"

Scizor smiled deviously. "Do you think that we are simple and weak, to be pushed about without retaliation? No. We are strong. I have summoned Bugs from all over the world to create a grand army, one to combat our enemy. If you will, I would like to have you join us. We will need all of the power we can get, for even as our numbers are great, our opponents are trained and powerful, we cannot win by numbers alone." Riolu didn't hesitate for a second. "Let's do this."

Scizor had recruited most of the fighters from Bloomberg, and some of the escapees. That, added with his bug army, created a fighting force nearly 13,000 strong, all ready for combat. The question was, though, how would they match against the opposing army? Scizor was confident that they could defeat them.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Darkrai bowed before his master. "I have taken the life of life itself. What will you have me do next, my master? I _am _but your humble servant." A low, deep voice responded. "Cut the bullshit. Ever since I claimed your soul, you've been doing these assignments without choice, so stop acting like you're doing me a favor. You're a slave, with no will of your own. That's all you are, and all you will ever be." Darkrai was about to respond when a knock came at the door. The shadow pokemon vanished, leaving the master to himself. "Open." A Machoke open the door and tossed a pokemon in. "This is the little squirt that we found by the sea. Do whatever." The door was closed. The pokemon rubbed his head where it had hit the ground. "The name's Squirtle, not squirt, dumbass."

The deep voice boomed. "Hah! You think I care? I only need you for your information. Then, I can kill you. So, now, don't get feisty. The men of this village are dead, and woman busy making new soldiers for my army, if you know what I mean. And you? You're just some tiny little turtle that we picked up by the sea. You should be glad that I spared your life, at least for now." Squirtle leapt up, balling his fists. "Yeah, you want to go? Any day, I'll beat you so hard you'll"- A loud thunk reverberated through the cottage, then a weak groan.

Squirtle got up, blood streaming down from his forehead. "You son of a bitch. I'll kill you someday, don't forget it." The master laughed again. "You? Why don't you just"- Another loud thunk sounded through the cottage. Squirtle retracted from his shell. _"That guy never expected a Shell Dash. All right, time to get out of here."_ He opened the door, glanced left and right, then dashed out of the camp as fast as he could.


End file.
